To bring to life our mission and vision, all stakeholders are accountable to uphold the following beliefs.

EXCEPTIONAL CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, and ASSESSMENT

• We believe high expectations ensure that ALL students achieve exemplary academic and language success.
• We believe enhanced math, science, and humanities curricula enriched through technology and arts must be rigorous and standards based.
• We believe literacy is the foundation to success in all content areas.
• We believe research-based instructional strategies must be implemented, monitored, and refined.
• We believe differentiated instruction is fundamental to meet the needs of ALL students, including second language learners, students with special needs, and gifted and talented students.
• We believe proficiency in English language development is vital.
• We believe development of content in native language while learning English is sound practice.
• We believe in setting content and language goals for second language learners.
• We believe the curriculum, instruction, and assessment must respect and reflect the history and culture of the students and families (Including but not limited to Native-American, Afro-American, and Hispanic-American)
• We believe formative and summative assessments are vehicles to advance student academic achievement, verify attained learning, reinforce effort, and provide recognition.
• We believe assessment is a tool to inform instructional decisions.
• We believe that the ECE-8 model provides a rich continuum for academic rigor.

HIGHLY-QUALIFIED, SKILLED, CARING, and COMPASSIONATE STAFF

• We believe all staff must be highly qualified, caring, and compassionate.
• We believe all staff must be dedicated and committed to excellence.
• We believe relevant and robust professional development is necessary for on-going improvement.
• We believe collaboration among staff is imperative.
• We believe in an interdependent professional learning community.
• We believe common learning agreements nurture a professional learning community.
• We believe “platooning” and vertical teaming encourages teachers to teach to their strengths and support articulation from one grade level to the next.
• We believe creating a culture of trust is essential.

CHALLENGING, EXPLICIT, MEASUREABLE, PUBLIC STUDENT GOALS

• We believe setting challenging academic and language goals for ALL students is important.
• We believe multiple, diverse learning opportunities (exhibitions, demonstrations, and integrated-projects) provide students mechanisms to attain and demonstrate their growth and proficiency of academic and language goals.
• We believe goals must be explicit and public to all stakeholders.
• We believe academic and language goals must be collaboratively developed and monitored by students, family members, and teachers.
• We believe on-going, relevant, specific, and timely feedback is critical.

INTENTIONAL POSITIVE CULTURE

• We believe an intentional, positive school culture is crucial.
• We believe that relationships must be built and cultivated among and between all community members.
• We believe student voice and leadership define a positive school culture.
• We believe the school culture is a reflection of each and every community member.
• We believe all members of the school community must be invested in the school-wide culture as well as each and every student’s success.
• We believe student code of conduct must reflect life-long, enduring character attributes and be consistently upheld.
• We believe setting rituals, routines, rites of passages, traditions, and celebrations are paramount.
• We believe explicit school-wide behavior expectations must be equitable, consistent, and fair.
• We believe that each and every student must accept responsibility for their learning, actions, and their consequences.
• We believe the culture and diversity of each and all individuals must be honored.
• We believe that to discipline students is to empower students to take ownership of their choices and consequences.
• We believe the ECE-8 model provides a strong foundation for character development from preschool to adolescent.

VITAL EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

• We believe authentic arts and science infusion tasks promote high levels of student engagement, background knowledge, vocabulary development, and higher order thinking skills.
• We believe extended learning opportunities (before-school, after-school, and summer) that allow students additional time and individualized support guarantee student success.
• We believe enrichment opportunities in the sciences and arts are significant for students to express creativity and be inquisitive.
• We believe enrichment opportunities must also include activities that promote health and nutrition.

RICH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• We believe family and community members must be active partners in supporting student academic and behavioral success.
• We believe that parents are students’ first and life-long teachers.
• We believe strategic and varied family and community involvement in student learning and school-life is significant.
• We believe community service, outreach, and connections are powerful tools for extending student learning.
• We believe networking with community agencies to provide support to the whole child is important.

SAFE, STRUCTURED, HEALTHY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• We believe in a safe, secure, structured learning environment.
• We believe the learning environment must inspire creativity, inquiry, independence imagination, innovation, and critical thinking.
• We believe the physical structure must support the developmental range of students.
• We believe safety to and from school must be monitored.
• We believe the school must be clean and sanitary.
• We believe in an environmental friendly school.
• We believe in creating a learning environment where individualized student learning opportunities are maximized.